Author Archives: jbennett

Birds Named More and Better

Posted on January 1, 2008 by jbennett

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I think I heard more voices than ever this year suggesting that we consider toning down the cultural excesses of Christmas gift-giving.  We’ve certainly not eliminated gift-giving in my world of family and friends, but … Continue reading →

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Christmas Mysteries

Posted on December 21, 2007 by jbennett

Americans love good fiction, says pollster George Barna, which seems to be a peculiar opening sentence for a report on his recent survey of what Americans believe about some familiar Bible stories – – including the virgin birth.  It’s not … Continue reading →

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Coming into the Life of the Body

Posted on November 20, 2007 by jbennett

In many ways my native language has always been dance.  I moved stories before I told them in words, heard music most clearly when it flowed through my body and out again into the waiting space.  In secret my deepest prayers … Continue reading →

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Higher Ground

Posted on November 5, 2007 by jbennett

Although I no longer serve as pastor of a congregation, invitations to preach come my way from time to time.  The latest instance was yesterday when I helped a Presbyterian congregation surprise their pastor with the opportunity to worship among … Continue reading →

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Cut Flowers, Sheilaism, and Other Unsurprising Offspring

Posted on October 22, 2007 by jbennett

Many of us have followed the work being done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the religious beliefs of American teens.  “Moralistic therapeutic deism” now rolls off our tongues with growing ease, though it does nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Education, discipleship, theology, world view | 1 Comment

Educating Nomads

Posted on October 8, 2007 by jbennett

One of those “Aha!” moments came to me twenty-some years ago while staring at the blank computer screen where Sunday’s sermon should have been making its appearance.  Unfortunately, my thoughts were elsewhere; I had been dealing with the parent of … Continue reading →

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Second Generation

Posted on September 24, 2007 by jbennett

Evangelical activist for social justice Ron Sider wrote his book The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World? a couple of years ago. In the July/August issue of Books & Culture: … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Christian Education, congregational life | 1 Comment

About Mother Teresa and Other Saints

Posted on August 27, 2007 by jbennett

Fall in Virginia is quite a different matter from the same season in New York or Oregon, the other two places in which I have experienced its bittersweet mingling of pulsating life and coming death.  It has always been my … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Education, liturgical seasons, teaching, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Owning My Agenda

Posted on July 23, 2007 by jbennett

As one who confessed that, after having met some remarkable role models, all I ever wanted to be was a great Sunday School teacher, how do I explain all the time and money invested in those later credentials in Sociology … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Education, discipleship, Prayer, theology | 1 Comment

All I Ever Wanted to Be

Posted on July 9, 2007 by jbennett

Let’s begin with a confession: All I ever wanted to be was a Sunday School teacher.  Not that my earliest experiences with Sunday School were positive ones.  Actually, I can’t remember a single teacher from those early years when my … Continue reading →

Posted in children, Christian Education, discipleship, Sunday school, vocation, world view | 1 Comment